Olin ii



(No Model.)

0. H. BASQUIN. PRISMATIG LIGHT.

No. 586,221. I Patented July 13,1897. L x

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLIN lI. BASQUIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE LUXFER PRISM PATEN"S COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

PRESMATIC LIGHT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 586,221, dated July 13, 1897.

Application filed Marci} 23, 1897. Serial No. 628,845. (No model.)

To (117/ whom, 71/ 77 1/07; concern.-

Be it known that I, OLIN II. BASQUIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of 1lli- 5 nois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Prismatic Lights, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to the production of IO prism-plates for windows or openings where it is desired to usefully direct an increased amount of light into and about the apartment to be illuminated.

Prismatic lights are made up into large pris- I 5 matic plates, the several lights being united together in various ways. The preferred form of the light is that in which it has one plane surface and a series of parallel prisms on the opposite surface, and the preferred form of prism-plate is that in which a series of such prism-lights is mounted together by a suitable grid, net, or frame, so as to present a substantially plane exterior surface. Now under the various conditions to which such prism-lights are subjeeted-conditions which vary with the width of the street or opening opposite the window, the height of the buildings or obstructions opposite, the position of such obstructions, or the direction toward which such opening looksit is evident to any one who is familiar with the principle on which such prism-lights operate that there must be in many such complete prism plates a variety of prismsthat is to say,

3 5 prisms of different angular arrangement. Such prism-plates are in demand for very valuable properties and are used in high-class stores and building-fronts and upon popular thoroughfares, so that it has become neces- .0 sary to furnish not merely the increased effect desired, but also a highly-finished, ornamental, and beautiful window-plate, which shall not offend the laws of good taste.

To get the best results it is found that the 4 5 exterior of the plate should be uniform and regular, but irregularities on the inside of the plate, or rather on the prism side, are of less consequence, because it is from that side that the light, as these plates are ordinarilyused,

5o proceeds. The prism side is therefore luminous to such a degree and in such a manner that slight irregularities there will be of little consequence. These prism plates are manufactured and shipped all complete and ready for insertion in the window or other openings, and to make them safe and suitable for shipping, handling, and selling in the market they must be practically of uniform thickness. Moreover, if when the plates are put in position there are any prisms which project or any sets of prisms which extend out into the room farther than the others it is quite evident that all such prisms will become convenient resting-places for dust, dirt, and the like, whereby the efficiency and beauty of the prism-plate will be rapidly deteriorated. Constructors have been at great expense and trouble to render such work sufficiently smooth, uniform, regular, and free from dirt and the like. Uniform thickness is highly 7o desirablethat is to say, each prism, wherever located on the finished plate, should be shaped so that its outer extremity will be the same distance from the surface of the plane side of the prism as the outer extremity of each other prism.

To give the finished plate a uniform, regular, and harmonious appearance when viewed from the plane side, there should be the same number of prisms to each unit of length in every part of the prism-plate. It is also desirable that every prism should have the same width at its base. These three features are preferably embraced in one and the same prism-plate, and to do so the side surfaces of 8 5 the prisms preferably should be joined by a curved surface at the outer extremity of such prism, where otherwise the prism would project too far inwardly.

My invention is illustrated in the accom- 9o panying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is an elevation of a prism-plate, looking toward the prism side. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

It will be evident that many other forms and combinations of prisms will occur in practice and that the prisms of different angles will be distributed differently over the plate.

I have simply shown one arrangement, diagrammatically, as it were, for in a plate hav- IOO ing but nine prism-lights there would ordinarily be little occasion for any great differonce in angles or prisms. In this form which I have shown at the top of the plate are prisms having the upper interior angle about seventy-five degrees and the lower interior angle about fifty degrees. This is the prism which with a given base will have its outer edge the least removed from the plane surface of the prism-plate when compared with other prism-lights in the plates. It is therefore taken as a standard for that particular plate and fixes the thickness of the plate and prisms. Farther down along the plate are prisms having an upper interior angle about sixty degrees and other prisms having upper interior angles of seventy-five degrees and lower interior angles of seventy degrees. Obviously such prisms, in order to have the same elevation as the first-mentioned prism, must either have narrow bases or their outer projecting parts must be removed, and if re moved the two side surfaces of the prism should preferably be connected by a curved surface. In these two sets of prisms I have shown in dotted lines the distance to which they would project with their sides not connected by curved surfaces, and I have also shown by dotted lines theirnarrow bases were they to be constructed so as to have the same elevation as the upper prisms and yet have the same number to each unit of distance measured up the plate.

Like parts are indicated by the same letter in both the figures.

A is the surrounding frame.

B B B are the prismlights set in a grid composed of the warps C and the short ties D. The lights are preferably electroglazed into a net or frame. Each prism-light preferably has the plane-receiving surface E. The prism-light B has the prisms F, the prismlights B the prisms G, and the prism-light B the prisms H, these several prisms having the angular arrangement above referred to, and the dotted lines indicate what has already been described.

Of course, so far as the appearance of the light from the exterior is concerned, it is not essential that the prisms should all have an equal elevation; but it is important that there should be an equal number of prisms for each unit of distance up the plate. As previously explained,it is absolutely necessary that there should be prisms of different angles in many such plates in order to adapt them for the conditions under which they are to be used.

I claim 1. A prism plate comprising a series of prism-lights secured together in a suitable frame so as to form such plate, each prismlight having uniform prisms but the prisms of different lights Varying in angular arrangement.

2. A prism -plate comprising a series of prism-lights and a frame by which they are bound together to form the plate, the prisms of the plate having different angles but the number of prisms being uniform for each unit of distance measured transversely to the prisms.

3. A prism-plate comprising a series of prism-lights joined together to form such prism-plate, the prisms of the plate having different angles, such prisms arranged so that there are uniform numbers of prisms for equal distances measured transversely to such prisms, and all the prisms of an equal elevation measured from the plane side of the prism-plate.

at. A prism-plate comprising a series of prism -lights joined together to form such prism-plate, the prisms of the plate having different angles, such prisms arranged so that there are uniform numbers of prisms for equal distances measured transversely to such prisms, and all the prisms of an equal elevation measured from the plane side of the prism-plate and all the prisms having equal Widths at their bases.

5. A prism-plate comprising a series of prism -lights joined together to form such prism-plate, the prisms of the plate having different angles, such prisms arranged so that there are uniform numbers of prisms for equal distances measured transversely to such prisms, and all the prisms of an equal elevation measured from the plane side of the prism-plate and all the prisms having equal widths at their bases, the plane surfaces of some of such prisms being connected by a curved surface.

6. A substantially flat prism-plate provided with a receiving-surface on one side and a series of prisms running across the plate on the opposite side substantially from edge to edge, such prisms systematically arranged to produce an increased illuminating effect in the apartment and having equal bases and equal elevation, equal numbers for equal distances measured across such prisms, and angles varying systematically and regularly from one portion of the plate to another to give an increasing refraction of the lightfrom one portion of the plate to another.

7. Asubstantially flat prism-plate provided with a receiving-surface on one side and a series of prisms running across the plate on the opposite side substantially from edge to edge, such prisms systematicallyarranged to produce an increased illuminating effect in the apartment and having equal bases and equal elevation, and angles varying systematically and regularlyfrom one portion of the plate to another to give an increasing refraction of the light from one portion of the plate to another.

OLIN II. BASQUIN.

Witnesses:

FRANCIS W. PARKER, A. R. APPLEMAN, Jr. 

